Monday, May 3, 2010

At least I am hoping and praying that it's a step in the right direction!

Back in the day, before children, I was a graphic designer. I began working at an advertising agency when designers were still doing paste-up on drawing boards. Type was still set by typesetters and sent over in what were called "galleys", long columns of type formatted per the graphic designer's direction. A computer was something that the front office had to print and create invoices and correspondence.

I remember seeing my first Apple computer. It was like a miniature refrigerator. A vertical rectangle with a small screen. Wow! That thing was cool! There was buzz around the design room that we could actually create lines and boxes and use them on layouts instead of having them typset. What an invention!

I got to be the one at Conway Advertising to go to a PageMaker 1 orientation. The things this software could do with type were astounding! In the future, you might even be able to scan and print photos that were high enough resolution to use in print. It was exciting. And I was right there, and teaching the other designers how to use it.

But you know what? When you stay away from your industry too long, it just keeps chugging right along without you. And that's why I don't have a career in Graphic Design anymore. It has passed me by without even a sidelong glance goodbye.

So I have recently taken a step for a new career. Medical Transcription Editing. I've done transcription before in offices, so that's nothing new. But this is a field that will always be around. And now it has advanced to include "editing". Why editing? Well, as transcription software has evolved, so have its users. Many in the medical field record their patient notes and then it is translated into text by the software system. But that can never replace the good old human brain. These files still have to be edited by a human to correct mistakes that the software is not able to "think through". There are still a large portion in the medical field who do not use the speech to text feature and need transcriptionists for their files.

April 20th I signed up for the Medical Transcription Editing course through CareerStep. I have a friend from home who is taking it, and she has a friend who took the course and has been working as a transcriptionist. So in a round about way, I felt it was a reputable company.

Since April 20th I have put in 76 hours of work. The course is designed to be completed in 4 months if you work an average of 40 hours a week. I am planning to stick to a schedule of 35 hours a week and should be completed by the end of August.

I have learned so much already! Anatomy, pathophysiology, medical terms, root words, prefixes, suffixes, a brushing up on my rusty grammar and punctuation... and hours and hours more to go.

The last half of the course is transcription of actual reports. Yikes! I'm excited to get there, but also wonder if I'll really be able to do it.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to. And that's my goal. I want to be able to make a marked contribution to the family's finances. CareerStep also helps to find you jobs and they have a 90% placement rate. Woohoo! Plus, I can work from home.

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Webkinz Visit Sleepyhead

Chloe and I made this slide show one day when Spike was fast asleep. He didn't move a muscle as she placed her Webkinz, one after another, on top of him. Sorry it's a bit slow, it's the fastest I could get it to go. Enjoy!